Intoxicated Living: Hannah’s

‘The world’s not as I expected,’ skeptically mused a person, time and again. Although it is suppose to show a humor, it has some truth. The world has intoxicated our living by the time our conscience is put to practice.

Our mind becomes intoxicated with wants, selfish ambitions, adjustments with immediate neighborhood, and so on. Physically, we have been pain, suffered, and many more, as we live our daily life. These all are signs of us being alive, so it’s a blessing.

As if these weren’t enough, we have tons of ways to get intoxicated with. Intoxication took away our understanding and makes us unwise, at times. Our imperfect mind showed up when we speaks or acts as fools in our intoxicated state. A sinful living is an intoxicated living.

Necessary Intoxication:

The other day, medical practitioners took some amount of my blood, as they need to determine what had intoxicated my living. The level of the drugs in my blood, which I had taken for a decade, had to be maintained at the so-called normal level.

Dosages of my medicines would increase if it’s lower than the desired level; or lowered otherwise. My intoxicated blood becomes a boon for my normal living. My movements and activities, however, get more limited than before. Intoxication affects my life in some way.

Our body cells, neurons, and bloods are design by our Creator to accept and intermingle with outside particles for good. They secrete and excrete to keep our toxic level well balance to sustain our life. We are fearfully and wonderfully made, which need consistent yet limited care, only to the level we could.

Intoxicated by Pain:

Pain has become part of my normal life. As I said earlier, to be able to feel the pain is another blessing. It is a sign of me being normal and alive. Let me tell you that I have been in a situation beyond pain, being unconscious, and the experience is worst than pain.

We all suffered some kind of pain, in different ways. When our pain is too much it can blind our thinking, which suppressed our hope. It intoxicated our thoughts and living. Yet most pains are temporary or at least for a lifetime. Our search for suppressing pain can become dangerous.

In our intoxicated life, with pain and suffering, we search for an entity or someone who’ll listen to our groaning, occasionally. What if I can tell all? It may somehow ease my occasional pain but it is hard to find a good listener. We can be boring, a chronic complainer, and negative mindset to others.

Pain does not subsides by telling someone throughout so we all chose to keep quiet as much as possible. It’s better to report our level of intoxication, by pain, to the Lord’s.

Intoxicated by Misery:

Hannah was mistaken as a woman intoxicated by drinking wine when she poured out her deep misery before the Lord God. In reality, she was intoxicated by misery. She was severely provoked by her rival because she was barren; unable to bear son for her husband. (1 Samuel 1)

She’s a woman; I cannot say with certainty the level of her troubled heart. It’d be difficult to empathize her being provoked. Dear women, you’ll know better. Her misery was beyond the love and understanding of her husband Elkanah.

Hannah was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord asking for a son, and wept in anguish until her voice was able to come out.

Hannah’s Surrender and Hope:

Imagine should you be in Hannah’s state of mind, it pained me. One night, my chest was choked, as I read it to my children. She was excessively intoxicated by her misery.

She did not care for what people would think. The priest Eli had observed only her lips were moving, as she spoke to the Lord in her heart. She vowed to give the child to the Lord, should the Lord grant her prayer. This lady was in huge distress and she surrenders herself fully to the Lord.

Hannah knew that her situation has come to the level which can be solved only by the intervention of the Almighty God. In her own conviction, she went to the Lord, because she has HOPE in Him.

Beyond Hannah’s Misery:

She said, “May your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.

There is an upside to her misery. Hannah’s misery took her into the ministry of God. She participated in God’s plan by bearing a ruler and priest for the Lord. Her contribution or role in God’s ministry will be remembered as she did not shy away but approached the Lord.

It is a great relief to read the next chapter, which consist of her praise to the Lord. The Lord had granted Hannah’s prayer, she bore a son, named him Samuel. Samuel was dedicated to the Lord; he grow onto become a priest who ruled and anointed the kings for Israelites.

Hannah’s Prayer of Gratitude:

In Chapter 2, Hannah’s prayer of thanksgiving was recorded. Her heart was filled with joy; for she witnessed the good deeds of the Lord. Her bitter life turns into a rejoicing life. She proclaimed: (1 Samuel 2: 2, 8, 9)

“There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is o Rock like our God. For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; on them he has set the world. He will guard the feet of his faithful servants.”

One day, or at least once in a while, we’d be set free from our intoxicated living, by the grace of God. Now, a rejoicing heart is a blessed heart. We should know how to be thankful and show our gratitude once we’re set free.
When the sun shines let us be thankful for the sun; and the sun don’t shine let us be thankful for the shad we got!

How to Get Free from Intoxicated Living?

We have talked in length the details of God’s work in Hannah’s life. She was set free from her misery because she went to the Lord’s presence. She knew her problem was beyond men can handle. A sinful living is an intoxicated living.

By hoping in the Lord, with great perseverance, we will be set free from our intoxicated living. The time will come for us to be free from all kinds of troubles the world can bestowed upon us.

And for that, there’s a way to know the truth. When we know the truth we can trust in Him. Today, how are you intoxicated? Let’s abide in Jesus Christ. As Jesus Christ had declared, “the truth shall set you free.” (John 8:32b)

I know it is hard to let a day pass when we’re in the midst of our afflictions and sufferings. Yet we have HOPE, amidst our intoxicated living, through Christ Jesus!